Seasons In The Sun Village
by Kitt Mouri
Summary: This is the untold tale of events that went on in the Sun Village just prior to and after the Wolfriders' arrival. It's slightly Worldpoolish, as two of the characters have...traits, that aren't akin to canon elves. Still, I hope you enjoy the reading.
1. Chapter One: Autumn's Shadow

**Chapter One - Autumn's Shadow **

The days had grown lengthy and the cool desert breezes flowed more often. Some of the Sun Folk had taken to wearing their over-garments early this year, Arysia noticed, as she sat against the retreating rays of the setting sun atop the roof of her hut. The warming light felt delicious against her cloaked back. It was as a soothing lullaby or the gentle touch of lover's hand, something she could only yearn for, for she knew that she would never know the delights of such pleasures. Someone to love her. …someone just for her…

"Arysia?" a voice called, one that she knew all too well.

"Yuunen. I'm, here." she replied, cheerfully.

She heard the clack of a ladder hit against the roofing of her abode followed by his nimble footsteps ascending the device. In an instant, his dark head appeared over the expanse of the hut's covering, a frown creasing his gentle features.

"Arysia, do you know what it does to my heart to see you up here?" he asked, his voice laced with concern.

She smiled at him, the same sweet smile she always gave to him as she answered, "Forgive me, my friend. But, it is not my intent to cause you panic. I simply…do not wish to be forced to live a sheltered life because of my… impairment. " She fell silent for a moment, her large onyx eyes cast downward at her upturned palms, studying them, reading them. "I know," she said at last. "I know that I am not like everyone else. I know that there are some things that I simply cannot do." Her eyes suddenly returned to his awaiting gaze, full and bright with all of life's fire. "But, enjoying my life is not one of them."

Yuunen sighed, heavily, as he cleared the remaining rungs of the ladder and joined her on the enclosure's surface. "Dearest," he began, as he lowered himself at her side. "…it is not that I want to limit or shelter you. In fact, that is the farthest thing from my desires. But, what I do want and what I must ask as that you be careful. You mean so much to me that I-"

"Yuunen," she interjected. "…even if I were to fall, Leetah is only a heartbeat away."

"Ah, then our dear healer is to blame for your reckless abandon?"

The icy glare she cast at him was enough to tear the very seams of his soul.

"I'm sorry." he said. "I did not mean to be so terse. It's just that the thought of anything forsaken befalling you worries me." he admitted, as he gently touched the skin of her soft, chestnut colored leg, absently caressing its velvety expanse. He traced its contour downward, coming quickly upon her knee where his gentle fingers glided over the joint and back under to the placidity of her under leg. He had known her for what felt like an eternity, yet she still remained a wonder to him. She was a remarkable maiden, one unlike any other the village had to boast. Even without the lower portions of both her legs, she still managed to live a life that was just as full as any other, perhaps even more so. Nothing stopped her. She would not allow anything to do so. She was full of life's spirit and determination and lived each and every one of her days with mirth and delight. In every way she was as free and limitless as any of the other Sun Folk except, that is, for the limitations she, to his regret, imposed upon herself.

"Yuunen, I th-"

"Why do you refuse to join with anyone, Arysia?" he interrupted, his attention still focused on massaging her malformed limb. He felt her stiffen under his touch and knew that she was not going to make the discussion an easy one.

"I do not join with anyone because I do not choose to join with anyone." she replied, indignantly.

"That's not really an answer." he responded, continuing his ministrations. Suddenly, she jerked her leg away from him and turned herself about so that his view of her included a tumble of her earthen-colored locks and the soft, silken fabric that hugged her shapely posterior. It took the bulk of his will to draw himself away from fanciful thoughts of pleasuring her to the halted conversation at hand. Valiantly, he found his voice and continued.

"Why is it that you are so averse to joining with any of the lads of the village? I know you've been courted by many of them, yet you refuse their invitations. Why won't you allow anyone the chance to be more than just your friend?"

"Because," she growled. "I know what manner of thoughts fill their clouded minds." She turned to face him, her dark eyes blazing into his light, golden-colored ones. "It is not me that they desire. It is the experience of being with a malformed maiden that draws their tastes. To them, I am no more than a conquest, a trophy to their prowess and a means to satisfy their curiosity. None of them would have me for more than the moment. …they would never have me as their lifemate. …and I cannot blame them." she sighed, dejectedly.

"That's nonsense, Arysia." Yuunen announced as he grasped her shoulders and spun her about to face him. "There are many who would have you as their lifemate. …and I would, too. If only you would have me I-"

"No, Yuunen." she said, silencing him with a warm brush of her fingertips against his supple lips. "You are too dear to me to allow you to suffer through my curse."

"Arysia-"

"The light of recognition will never shine on me." she continued. "It is said that the High Ones grant such a blessing on the best and most desirable of our kind. Clearly," she said, making a sweeping gesture of her legs. "I do not number among the likes of such."

"Arysia" he whispered, cupping her delicate visage between his capable hands.

"It's alright." she chirped, as she laid her hands atop his. "I am happy as I am. But, you are much too dear to me deny you the opportunity that was denied to me. You are beautiful and strong and I know that the High Ones will smile fondly upon you someday. And when they do, I, too, will smile fondly for you and the maiden whose heart you will fill."

He wasn't prepared for such an explanation. He was prepared for the depth of her response of the revelation of just how much she truly cared for him. His heart swelled all the more for her, this maiden he cared for so very much.

"My dear Arysia…" he whispered against her soft skin as he pulled her lithe form against the contours of his hard, taut body. "Your heart is so big and full. I only hope that one day, you will not be afraid to allow someone to share its wondrous spaces. …I hope that you will let me share your heart."

Silently, she listened to the steady song his heart played against the sturdy frame of his torso. How she dreamed of being in the arms of one who would love her always, just as she was in this moment. …but with this elfin lad? No. He was a treasure to her, much too precious to indulge her selfish whims. She would not allow him to sacrifice his life in this way. …but, perhaps for a moment, just this moment, she could forget what she was and think of nothing more than the warmth of his embrace and the love he proclaimed to have in his heart.

"Scent Maker! Scent Maker!" a panicked villager shouted from below Arysia's hut. The fear in his voice was more than enough to pull Arysia from her thoughts.

Quickly, she and Yuunen scrambled to the hut's edge and peered over. "Adja?" she called down, recognizing the villager. "What's wrong? Why are you so alarmed?"

"It's Shasa!" Adja replied. "Something is terribly wrong…"


	2. Chapter One Part Two

**Chapter One Part Two: **

Her arms thrown about Yuunen's capable shoulders, Arysia held onto him with all her might as he raced through the village with her atop his back following after Adja. She feared the worst as she listened to his frantic voice rasping out the demand for his urgency in seeking her out.

"It is as Shenshen expected." Adja breathed. "Shasa's birthing has begun early."

Arysia smiled, briefly, before the reality of his words sank into her thoughts. "Wait, I do not understand." she said. "Why would an early birthing be such a cause for alarm?"

"It's not the kitling coming early that's the problem. For some reason, Shasa seems to be in a great deal of pain...and there is much birth-blood."

Yuunen could feel her skin grow cold from Adja's admission. She tightened her grip around him, mimicking the actions of her throat which trapped any speech from leaving her person. Knowing her as he did, Yuunen provided the voice she could not produce.

"Where is Leetah?" he asked. "If she is in pain, surely she can-"

"If only she would allow it." Adja interrupted, as he slowed to a stop before Shasa's dim hut. "Shasa was adamant about not having her present." He continued. "She will only tolerate Shenshen and Arysia."

"But, why?"

"There isn't time for that, now!" Arysia exclaimed, finding her voice. "Yuunen, just take me to her." Wordlessly, the elfin lad obeyed and carried her over the threshold of the abode and into Shasa's bedchamber. There, they found her ailing form breathing raggedly on her sleeping pallet. Each breath she took was clearly an endeavor that cost her much. Sweat beaded upon her brow and cascaded down her visage in streams of agony. Her lashes fluttered against her cheeks as she struggled to fight off the urge to succumb to the inviting darkness of unconsciousness.

Shenshen loomed beside her, attending her dutifully. One could hear her soft voice as she attempted to coax the pain from her charge's body with gentle words and lulling songs. Her efforts, it appeared, were in vain, for Shasa's pains seemed to worsen with each passing moment. Unshed tears filled Shenshen's eyes as she looked up to receive Yuunen and Arysia.

"Thank the High Ones!" she exclaimed, surprising herself at the capacity in which she managed to maintain the structure of her own voice.

At her exclaim Shasa's grass-green eyes flew open, recognizing the newcomers even against the obscurity of her darkened home. "A-...Arysia." she whispered, harshly.

In an instant, Arysia had scrambled down from Yuunen's mountainous form and was at Shasa's side. "Sister," she cooed as she touched her friend's forehead, forcing a mass of stray locks back behind her tapered ear. "What is wrong?"

Shasa smiled. "Nothing at all is wrong..." she managed, before a wave of pain overtook her. She nearly doubled over from its intensity as it exploded inside her, yet refused to allow herself to fall to its ferocity.

"We must send for Leetah." Arysia said, flatly. "Yuunen go get-"

"No!" Shasa interjected. "Yuunen, please take Shenshen and wait outside for a moment."

"Shasa, please you must listen to Arysia." Shenshen pleaded. "We have to get Leetah for your sake and the kitling's."

Shasa smiled a painful, beautiful smile. "Shenshen, please afford me this one moment with my soul's sister."

"Shasa, no, we-"

"After I've spoken to her, then...you may send for your sister." she said, as she was she suddenly claimed by another wave of labor pains. "Please," she gasped. "...there is something that I must say to Arysia, alone."

Wide-eyed, Shenshen could only stare at the sickly form of her patient. She couldn't move. She couldn't speak. She only knew that everything she knew about midwifery told her that this was wrong. Her place was not outside, not away from the young mother-to-be, not where she could be of no help. Her place was here at Shasa's side, here where she could be of aid and comfort, here where she was asked to remove herself from. She couldn't leave her. She wouldn't leave her. And yet, looking into the pain-filled eyes of the expecting mother, she knew that the choice to remain was not hers.

Rigidly, she turned and started to leave. She stumbled once but soon felt a warm hand lay gently across the small of her back, steadying her. She was immediately grateful for Yuunen's presence for she knew that if not for his unspoken strength, she would not have been able to maintain the resolve to leave the room and its weary occupant to whatever fate would receive her.

"Arysia." Shasa whispered, as soon as the two cleared the room. "I know that I haven't much time, so please just listen. This child that I bear will be a wondrous child, indeed. He will be strong and brave and will be a gift to all who know him. His heart will seek only what is right and will shine as a glorious light for all to see. But, there will come a time when his path will be greater than even he will know its end to. When this time comes, he will need to rely on the guidance his mother imparted to him all his days. He will fall upon the strength that she endowed him with all the many seasons she watched him grow and blossom. From her strengths, he will overcome his weaknesses and be all the more endearing because of it. Yet," she choked. "For him to fulfill this prophecy, his mother must mirror the very same traits that will take root in him."

"But, you are all those things." Arysia cried, as a lonely tear slipped passed the boundary of her eye. "If your concern is that you question your ability to raise the young one in the vision of that that you have seen, then you mustn't fear of it. I know you will be a wonderful mother."

Shasa smiled. The pain that had welled inside her had now become a numbing silence. She was in a space beyond its reach. Gracefully, she drew back the bed-coverings that overlaid her swollen belly where her unborn child stirred beneath. "Come." she whispered, as she gently ushered Arysia's head down against the roundness of her unseen womb. "Listen. Can you hear? My son sings for you. Can you hear his sweet voice, sister?"

"I cannot." she admitted. "I can only feel the beating of his heart and yours.

Once again, something tugged at the corners of Shasa's lips. "It is beautiful. It is strong and steady and will guide him well. It will lead him to do so many things and to make true his dreams. And as he grows when you listen to that soft melody that stirs beneath his breast…you will hear the echo of my own soul's song in his."

"Echo? But, why would I listen through him when I-…" she started, but fell silent as the revelation of her words took meaning.

Suddenly, she leapt up from Shasa's protruding middle and looked fearfully into her visage. The maiden's eyes were closed and her chin rested against the expanse of her chest, as though it were too heavy to be any longer supported by her neck. Trembling violently, Arysia summoned all the strength that remained in her to quench the urge to faint. It would do her beloved friend no good to fall victim to her fear. The look of death was something that Arysia had seen only once before…but then…

Quickly Arysia scrambled over to Shasa's stilled body and grasped her shoulders.

"Shasa?" she called, shaking the listless maiden vigorously. "Shasa?" she called once more, when she received no response. Tears spilled from her eyes as Shasa remained unresponsive. "Oh, High Ones, please don't do this, please!" she cried. "Sister, don't leave us! I'll get Leetah. She'll help you. Just hold on."

Praying for the best, yet fearing the worst, Arysia turned and started to call to the others who remained outside when she felt a pair of cool hands fall upon her shoulders.

She turned to see Shasa's smiling face and soft green eyes while at the same time she felt the maiden pulling her toward her. She saw her friend's eyes flutter shut once more as she gently touched her forehead to hers and in that instant, the world around her became a world shrouded in another.

**_Take good care of him, dear sister. …I know you will._**


	3. Chapter Two: The Whispers of Winter

**Chapter Two - The Whispers of Winter **

"Scent Maker? Scent Maker, are you here?" a village maiden called as she stepped into the threshold of Arysia's humble hut. She softly padded across a woven floral rug that lay before the entrance to the domicile, looking about in hopes of glimpsing the potion maker.  
"Hmm..." she murmured, quietly. "I wonder if she's resting."

Feeling no inhibitions in regard to searching the lass's home, the stranger moved toward Arysia's bedchamber hoping to finding her there. Just as she started to pull back the beaded curtain concealing the room, a fluffy head of fiery red hair leapt out at her, latching onto her pink, silken gown.

"Ruffi!" the fluffy haired being, who turned out to be a small child, cheered.

"Well if it isn't my little Kin." Ruffel, called Ruffi by the lad, said as she knelt down and engulfed the child in her arms. The boy returned her gesture, awkwardly, wrapping his arms about her as best as his tiny arms would allow.

"You come to find my mother?" he asked, suddenly, as he tried to slip out of her embrace.

"Why, yes I did." she replied, holding him all the more close for his attempted escape. "Do you know where she is?" she asked, tickling his bare belly.

Kin laughed a boisterous laugh while he squirmed and fiddled against Ruffel's playful assault. His fire-bright hair, a delightful compliment to his honey-colored skin, tumbled about his head while he endured her play. Finally, when she found herself as breathless as he from merriment, she abandoned her game and allowed him to respond. "Well...?" she pressed.

Still panting and giggling from the prior ordeal, Kin managed to say, "Her down there." and pointed to a opening that lead to a lower chamber of the hut.

"Ooh! Down there? I'm so scared." she feigned. "Will you go with me."

"Okay." he answered. He took her hand in his and once she found her feet, they started toward the aperture.

The wall crevice opened up into a smooth walkway that wound its way downward along a long spiral path. The way was lit with a battery of ornate candle boxes that hung from the roofing of the passage. Each box held a different cutout pattern on the bottom of it, such that when light was cast through the box, a luminous image sprang to life on the floor on which they treaded.

Ruffel watched, thoughtfully, as Kin pounced on an illuminated flower before bounding upon a glowing moon crescent that dared to cross his path. "Two years." she thought. He had grown so much in what was nothing more than the breath of a sigh to her. Two years. It had been two years since the bittersweet day he emerged into the world of Abode...while the one who gave him life departed it giving life to him.

--

Arysia was the only person to witness Shasa's final moments, yet she never spoke of what transpired that day. Everyone assumed that it was from shock, for when Leetah arrived on the scene, they found her sitting rigidly beside Shasa's lifeless form, clutching her soul's sister's cold hands in her own and staring into the vastness of space. When she had finally come out of her trance she found herself in Yuunen's arms, uncertain of how she had gotten there, watching on as Leetah and Shenshen hovered over the deceased fighting to save Shasa's yet unborn child.

It was said that even though Leetah was unable to save the mother, with the help of Shenshen, she was able to save the babe. Though, almost as a testament and reminder of her failure to save Shasa, the child Arysia named Kin, had only one healthy eye. The right held a vibrant green hue while the other was completely white...ghost-like. It was a defect that should have been simple enough to heal, yet couldn't. Leetah said that when she attempted to correct the abnormality, she couldn't find its source. It was as though to her healing abilities there was nothing to heal.

Even now as Ruffel watched the child in his innocent play, she saw that he didn't seem to mind his deficiency if he even noticed it at all. He delighted in skipping along the winding path chasing the light objects he found along the way. He was healthy and he was happy and she supposed that that was all that truly mattered.

--

"Mother!" Kin exclaimed as he hurried over to where he saw her. Among a host of glazed clay jars, knitted mats, an array of plant life, and the wafting smells of various aromatic scents, Arysia sat stirring an colorful mix of ingredients in a gold dish. She looked up from her tasking when she heard the chipper voice of her child calling to her. She smiled brightly, opening her arms to receive her most precious one's embrace.

"Hello my little kitling." she cooed, hugging him fiercely. "I am so glad you came down to see me. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes." he replied. "I not tired no more."

She chuckled at his ineptitude to fully grasp the elfin language and wondered if she sounded as he did when she was younger. She couldn't even recall such a time, though looking down into her son's sparkling leaf-green eye, she relived it.

"I'm glad to hear it." she whispered, touching her nose to his.

He giggled his delight then suddenly remembered why he had sought his mother out. "Oh!" he exclaimed. "I find my Ruffi!" he declared and pointed to the flowingly dressed village maiden who remained in the doorway. She stood, watching the tender exchange and longing for the day when it would be she who would sit cuddling her own babe in her arms. She snapped from her reverie when Kin pointed her out and said, "'My Ruffi'?" while ambling over to the two.

"Yes." Kin said, smiling widely. "You my Ruffi."

"Well, my little Kin," she teased. "I hope you don't mind sharing, because I have a rendezvous with a certain silver-haired Wolfrider tonight."

"Ah, that one." Arysia said, a small grin touching her visage. "I've heard of the silver-haired one. He is very favored among the maidens."

"Oh, yes. And with good reason. He's charming and bold and says all the right things and it's rumored that in joining he does this enticing little thing where he starts to..." she began, but paused in her speech as took note of the quizzical expressions that adorned her audience. "Oh..." she murmured in embarrassment. "Anyway, Maleen and I are planning a game of wolf and ravvit tonight...only he's the ravvit." she giggled. "So, Maleen thought that we should get one of your oils to sweeten the chase. Do you have something that can help us?"

Arysia chuckled. "Something to enhance the game is it?" she mused, turning about to examine the shelved wall behind her. Littered upon its beams were assortments of diminutive glazed jars, each one harboring small inscribed images on the lids. Arysia's hand glided over several of the jars before stopping at one that held a bubble-like icon on its face. "I think you will do well with this one." she said, handing Ruffel the item.

"Oh, what is it?" she asked, uncapping the jar. "Mmm..." she murmured. "It smells like a dream."

"That's because it's made from a dream." she replied. "The strange fruit the Wolfriders brought. They call them, dreamberries."

"It's wonderful, Arysia! I feel heady just inhaling its fragrance."

"It is even more potent when applied to your skin, so be careful that you don't use too much at once."

"Oh, we'll be careful." she giggled. "Thank you, Scent Maker. I'll return the jar tomorrow."

"As you wish." she replied, watching the lass retreat through the door and out of sight. Sighing contentedly, Arysia sat back against a pillow that rested behind her. Kin, who had been busying himself with a strand of small orange flower petals, abandoned his quarry and reclined against his mother's resting form. She gently tousled his hair, thinking of nothing more than the moment that she thrilled in with her beautiful child.

Colored sunlight streamed down through a stained crystal window above them, painting the two a mixture of vibrant colors. She could hear the rustle of dry grass against the panel of the window. Its tune was peaceful and warm and had a lulling effect upon her senses. Soon, she was drifting off to the place where dreams resided flying over magenta horizons beyond cerulean borders and back to the light of beginning where she found herself staring into the breadth of almond-brown eyes.

"Yuunen." she whispered, softly.

He smiled, warmly, as he gently pushed back a wandering lock of hair behind her tapered ear. "I'm sorry." he whispered. "I didn't mean to wake you."

She shook her head and smiled. "It is alright, dear one. It is not time for me to rest now, remember?"

"Then," he said, taking her hand in his. "...are you ready?"


	4. Chapter Two Part Two

**Chapter Two Part Two: **

The winters in the Sun Village, although not terribly harsh, were certainly cooler than any of the other seasons. The winds blew gently, softly singing their whisper of a melody across the sandy plains; plains that Yuunen, Arysia and Kin now traversed.

Sitting atop a hefty zwoot with the open expanse of sand and sheer rock wall the only scenery for as far as the eye could see, Yuunen sat looking wistfully up at the little stars that decorated the dark night sky. He was glad for the clarity of night. Not even the smallest of clouds occupied the vast beauty of the twilight sky allowing the moon, full and bright, to shine unobstructed against the small band of travelers, as it always did on this ritual journey he shared with his dear friend.

He glanced down at a large woven basket that hung against the animal's side and peered inside. There, nestled comfortably within the confines of the basket rested Arysia and Kin. He couldn't help the soft smile that graced his visage as he watched the two sleeping blissfully together, dreaming together. He knew that she had been tired that day, as she was asleep when he came to her that afternoon. Seeing her as she was was enough for him to postpone their trip for another time, but, as he knew she would, Arysia would hear nothing of it and insisted that she was up to the trip. Still, as the journey began and they had just barely left the Sun Village, mother and son were already fast asleep.

"When will you trust me, Beloved?" he sighed to himself. He shook his head, lightly, and pulled on the reigns he held, urging the great lumbering animal onward. "Maybe someday..." he mused, silently. A soft smile touched his lips as he allowed himself to believe in his dream...his fondest desire.

-----------------------------------------------

"I GOT YOU, NEWSTAR!" a child exclaimed.

"Alright, alright!" Newstar giggled. "Now I'm the wolf and you're the ravvit!"

"Okay! But, you have to count to have to count to two and four eights, first!"

"I know! You'd better hide real good this time or I'll get you, again!"

The tiny blonde elf maiden turned around and covered her eyes. In a loud, clear voice she called, "ONE! TWO! THREE!"

At that, the other child scampered away, desperately searching for a place to hide himself. Yet, as it was, there were precious few places that offered sufficient cover, even for one as small as he. His options non-abundant, he chose the most logical hiding place open to him and hurried to it.

"TWO EIGHTS AND TWO! TWO EIGHTS AND THREE! TWO EIGHTS AND FOUR!" Newstar exclaimed, removing her palms from her eyes. She blinked once, then twice, then looked about her for any signs of her quarry. For a moment, she only stood she was, breathing deeply, testing the air around her for some unknown something. Then, suddenly, she turned again looking in a direction not too far from her where her parents, Woodlock and Rainsong sat watching her with keen eyes. As fleet as any she-wolf, Newstar dashed over to where they were.

She came first to Rainsong who lay resting her head on Woodlock's lap. Newstar sniffed her mother, trying to fish out the assorted scents she was receiving. There were so many. Some old, some new, but, somehow, not quite the right scents she was looking for. Rainsong, for her part, only smiled as she indulged her daughter's investigation.

After a moment more, Newstar abandoned the search on her mother's person and moved to her father who, like his lifemate, smiled down at her but said nothing. As she had done with her mother, Newstar began her scent search on Woodlock. Yet, almost as soon as she had started, her face lit up and Woodlock knew that she had found what she was looking for. With soft steps the young elven lass crept around her father's backside to find her younger brother huddled in his father's shadow.

"I FOUND YOU, WING!" she cheered, elated by her newly accomplished success.

Surprised, Wing looked up from where he was curled up in a small ball and looked over at his sister. "Aww...how did you find me?" he whimpered. "Mother and Father smell like me all over!"

"That's true, son." Woodlock said, reaching behind him and scooping the child up above him. "But, you've forgotten that your mother and I just bathed so your scent isn't on us as strong as our own is, now."

"That's right!" Newstar agreed. "I smelled you a little bit on Mother, but a lot on Father. That's how I knew you were behind him."

Wing understood, but still held an expression of utter defeat upon his brow. This game wasn't fun anymore for him. In the amount of time it took him to find his sister, once, she could find him ten times over.

"Oh, my cubling." Rainsong said, reaching up for her child, who Woodlock gently surrendered to her care. "Learning the ways of hunting and tracking are not easy now, but they will get easier as you grow."

"Really?" he asked, in a tone that suggested that he wasn't at all convinced.

"I promise it will." she said, touching his nose to hers. He chuckled and giggled and soon forgot why he was upset at all. It was her gift, Woodlock thought to himself. And she was his.

"Ooh! Father, who's that?" Newstar asked, pointing at a figure that was still a bit off in the distance.

"Hmm?" he mused, shifting Rainsong away from him so that he could rise to his feet. Instinctively, her reached for his bow and quiver of arrows, readying himself to protect his family if the need arose. Slowly, the shadowy image came into view and into focus and, with a sigh of relief, he set his weapons back in their place.

"It's alright, daughter. It's a villager riding zwoot-back."

Neither eyes nor ears as trained or as sharp as those of the Wolfriders, it wasn't until Yuunen was practically on top of the gathered family that he was even aware of their presence.

"Oh, hello." he said, as he easily dismounted the great beast. "Forgive us if we're intruding, but I didn't know that anyone was going to be here. If we've disturbed you, we'll go."

"Not at all." Woodlock said. "Very little bothers us. I'm Woodlock and this is my lifemate, Rainsong and our cubs, Newstar and Wing." he added, gesturing to each person as he spoke their names.

"Well, hello. My name is Yuunen." he said, smiling as he always did. He chuckled a bit. "I must admit I am surprised to see you all here. I didn't even know that anyone, save for Arysia and I, knew of this spring."

"Actually, it was just coincidence that we happened upon this one. We would have used the other spring nearer to the village but it was...occupied." he said, laughing to himself. "Oh, you mentioned that you were with others." he added, leaning to the side and looking passed Yuunen in an attempt to see whom he held in company. Yet, seeing no one, he found himself a bit puzzled. Yuunen smiled.

"Yes. They're here, just not in plain sight." he said, as he strode over to the zwoot. Woodlock followed, curious to see where the newcomer's party was to be disclosed. He laughed, heartily, when Yuunen reached inside the side the basket and pulled back a blanket of moth fabric, revealing Arysia and Kin sleeping beneath its concealing warmth. At the sound of Woodlock's mirth, Kin stirred from slumber and awoke.

"We there, yet, Nunen?" the child asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Yes we are, sleepy one. And there are some folks here to meet, too."

"Who is it?"

Yuunen chuckled at the child's forwardness before saying, "Why don't you come out of there and see for yourself."

Satisfied with that answer, Kin scrambled upward and outward, his small head popping out of the opening of the straw basket putting him face to face with a smiling Woodlock.

"Hi, I Kin!" the child exclaimed.

"Hello, I'm Woodlock."

"And I Wing!" Wing said, having appeared at his father's side and now eagerly jumping up and down trying to see whom the basket concealed in its tow. Willing to satisfy his son's curiosity, Woodlock knelt down and picked the child up into his arms and brought him up to meet the young lad. "Hi!"

"Ooh! You lit'l like me!"

"I not lit'l!" he replied, indignantly.

"I lit'l! My mother say so. Her say I gonna get bigger later."

"Oh. But, I not lit'l, right, Father? I big like you, right?"

The gentle smile that graced the young father's features was an apologetic one. "Well, you're not quite as big as me, yet. But, one day you will. You just have to be patient."

It was the second time that night that Wing wore an expression of complete and utter defeat. He tried so hard to be like his father, as most young lads did. To be smart like him, strong like him, to be all of the good and none of the rest, which his young eyes never saw of anyway. But, now...

Embarrassed and dismayed, the child turned away as tears began to sting the back of his eyes. Unsure of what to say to ease his son's self-disappointment, Woodlock turned a pleading eye to Yuunen.

"Umm, you know, Wing." Yuunen started, gently lifting Kin from the confines of the basket. "You're little and Kin's little. And since you both have to grow up someday, why don't you do it together?"

"Yay! You can be my friend!" Kin cheered. "You wanna be my friend?"

"What do you say, Wing?" Woodlock asked. "I think it sounds like fun."

"Really?" he asked, turning a teary eye to his father.

"Of course. Having a good friend makes in your life makes your days sweet and merry. They're one of the best parts of living and growing."

Hearing his father's words and feeling a new sense hope, Wing smiled. He dashed away the traces of his tears and hugged his father with all the might his tiny embrace held. He scrambled down to the ground as Yuunen set Kin down before him where they met, truly, face to face.

"You gonna be my friend?" Kin asked, eagerly.

"Okay. I be you friend." he replied.

"Yay!" Kin hollered. "Come on!" he said, grabbing Wing's hand and pulling him along. "I show you were a bug hole is! You can play with them, but not my mother. She not like bugs."

"My sister not like bugs, either." Wing replied, no longer being pulled but anxiously following his new companion. "She say they icky."

"That what my mother say, too!"

Yuunen and Woodlock watched the two children scamper off toward the outskirts of the hot spring, laughing and chatting along the way. It made both their hearts soar seeing the children enjoying such mirth and gaiety. Such a thing was truly a precious thing to behold in this world of two moons. And to a Wolfrider, so much the treasure, for in Woodlock's time, such a thing was a rarity and much too short lived.

"Thank you, Yuunen." Woodlock said.

"Not at all. In fact, truthfully, it's you and your young son that I should be thanking." he answered.

"Eh?"

"Kin is a special child, but none of the other Sun Village children can see his uniqueness...only his differences."

"I'd noticed." he replied, politely.

Yuunen nodded. "It's because of it, though, that the village children rarely play with him or sometimes even acknowledge him. Even some of the adults in the village are wary of him. Still, he finds happiness where he can. Mostly from his mother and me, but there are others who can look passed what they see and see who he is. It looks to me like your son might just be one of those few."

Woodlock smiled, warmly. "I think both our cubs have something to gain from this union. Wing is such a shy child at times. I think, perhaps, your little Kin can help to open him up a bit. Maybe even help him to find the him that I see inside."

"Well then, let's hope that this friendship that they now have will last."

Just then, Newstar let out an ear-piercing shriek. Woodlock and Yuunen turned to see her running away from Wing and Kin who chased her with an unseen something trapped within the walls of their clasped palms. She hurried to her mother where she ducked behind her and shouted for the two lads to leave her be. Yet, it took a few more gentle words from Rainsong before the two broke off their pursuit. Both Woodlock and Yuunen chuckled at the sight.

"Somehow," Woodlock began, still laughing at the sight. "I don't think the friendship will see its end any time soon."

And it didn't.


	5. Chapter Three: Spring's Early Light

**Chapter Three - Spring's Early Light**

"You're cheating, Ember!" Dart proclaimed. The sun was high in the noon sky as he caught the young elfin maiden peeking while counting down in their game of tag. Dart had suspected that she was cheating when she found him in record time. This time, he decided to stand by and confirm his hunch.

"No I wasn't!" she protested. "I was just looking because I was almost to two and four eights."

"Now you're lying, too!" Suntop said, as he emerged from his hiding place.

"Aww, you're just mad because you can't hide as good as me." she retorted.

"I can hide good enough."

"And you get found good enough, too. But, you don't find good at all."

"That's just because I can't smell like a wolf does like you and Dart and the others can."

"It's okay, Suntop." Kin said, rounding the corner with Wing, as the game had clearly come to a pause. "I can't smell good, either...well, not like your Papa and the rest of them."

Suntop smiled. He always found comfort in the knowing that there were others who didn't excel in the means that his sister and most of the other children did. Apart from Kin, there were three other Sun Village children, Shujaa, Bidrah and Tanona, who, of course, didn't yield lupine abilities like the Wolfrider children did. They always seemed to even out the odds where as he would have been the only one at a disadvantage.

"Thanks, Kin." he said.

The bright-haired child smiled his regard just as Dart began to speak, once again.

"Even still, cheating is still cheating." he said. "That means you have to start over, Ember."

"Aww..." she moaned. "But, I'm going to be a chief someday."

"So." he replied.

"So, that means I can do whatever I want and you have to listen to me."

"That's NOT what being a good chief means, Ember." a voice said. The children turned about to see a scowling Wolfrider chief glaring down at his fiery red-headed daughter. Leetah was with him, accompanied by Newstar and Bidrah. Both lasses carried bundles of colored yarn as the healer was to show them the way of the loom, something all village maidens learned at an early age. "A good chief" Cutter continued "acts with honesty and doesn't bend what she knows is right for her own means."

"But..."

"Besides." Bidrah piped in. "You're not going to be the chief of the Sun Folk, so we'll never have to listen to you."

"I'm as much Sun Folk as I am Wolfrider, so I could be your chief, too."

"We already have a chief!" the village child exclaimed, tossing her basket of maiden's work aside. "And you'll never be as good as her."

"Savah's not really a chief!"

"She's more than you!"

"Kitlings, kitlings!" Leetah called, kneeling down to their level. She pulled Bidrah close and beckoned for Ember to come to her. She did as she was instructed and was rewarded with her mother's warmth surrounding her. "Now, as far as we Sun Folk are concerned, Bidrah is right. We do have a leader in Savah, our wise Mother of Memory. But, that's not to say that Ember can't be a great leader as well. If she learns all she can and keeps those teachings with her in her role as chieftess, then she will be a great chieftess."

"So there." Ember crooned, sticking out her tongue for good measure.

"You might be great someday, but right now, you're still just a pest." Bidrah replied.

Suntop chuckled. "That's a good name for you, Ember."

"Oh, stuff it, Suntop!"

"Whatever you say...pest!"

The children laughed as Ember huffed in fury. Even Dart had to stifle a bout of giggles behind his palms.

"Well...well," she fumed, indignantly, searching for an outlet to redeem her pride. "At least my eyes aren't messed up and scary like yours!" she cried, pointing her little brown finger squarely at Kin.

"EMBER!" both Cutter and Leetah shouted, but the deed had been done. Embarrassed yet trembling with unbridled anger, Kin stood with fists clenched at his sides. It was an injustice he had been forced to deal with all his life, one that he himself yielded no control over, nor that he chose to yield. Yet, it was his burden to beat all the same. Despite that fact, the child had simply grown tired of having to deal with the hurtful discrimination of his elfin kin. Angry and ashamed, the child took his pain and fled.

"Kin, wait!" Wing cried out, racing after his friend. He, more than any of the others, knew of his friends trials with great intimacy. His turmoil was something that he had often found himself sharing, not because he had to, but because it was his desire to always be at his companion's side.


	6. Chapter Three Part Two

**Chapter Three Part Two**

The sand flew about the child's tiny feet as he ran furiously under the noonday sun. Tears stung his eyes as sweat beaded upon his brow. He could hear the cries of his friend, beckoning for him to stop, yet his pleas only urged the child to run all the more quickly. He ran through the newly tilled crops and fields that the villagers had begun to make ready for planting and passed by the huts that housed his folk safely from the world around them. He ran and ran and kept running until his feet carried him to the outskirts of the village to the rock wall that kept the zwoots and jackals at bay and the cool, dark caves the served as dwellings for the wood-shy Wolfriders. Tired and hot and withouth the strength to run a moment longer, the boy finally collapsed against a crop of rocks and sobbed, quietly.

Why was he so very different? Why couldn't the others see that he was exactly as they were? It was only what was outside that made him different, but it was what was inside that made him unique.

"Oh, little cub, what's wrong?" a voice, sweet as spring wind, asked.

Timidly, Kin looked up to see who had spoken to him. He gasped, though not from fear but from awe at the beauteous figure kneeling before him. Hair the color of radiant sunbeams and eyes that challenged the color of the clearest, brightest spring day, this maiden whose petite form was so lithe she could be considered little more than a child herself reminded Kin of a lovely bird he had seen once...a long time ago. Although she had come into the village many times, usually accompanied by a surly golden-haired elf or a younger, spritely looking one, he had never seen her from such a close vantage before. Even to his young sight, he had to acknowledge that she was remarkably beautiful.

Her eyes shone with concern for the youth and it took him a moment to remember that the youth she was worried for was indeed him. "I-...I'm okay." he answered, hastily, stabbing at the tears that painted his cheeks.

"Really?" she mused, touching his cheek, lightly, rubbing the moisture she found there lightly between her fingers. "Your tears tell me otherwise."

"Ah...no, it's not anything." he stammered, looking away, shyly.

The maiden smiled, softly then leaned closer and whispered, "If your folk could send, I don't think you'd be able to tell me that."

"Huh?" he mused, surprised by her statement. "Send?"

She smiled again and patted his head, gently. "Never mind. It's nothing. Well, since nothing is bothering you would you like to-..."

"KIN!" Wing shouted, just as he reached up to his friend. "Are you okay? I was worried about-...oh, hello, Dewshine."

"Hello, Wing. Haven't seen much of you around here since they built that hut for you and your folks in the village."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Me and Newstar will visit more often if you want." he said.

"I'd like that." she replied, smiling brilliantly. "And I know Father and the others will, too."

Wing smiled then turned back to Kin who was simply watching them in their discussion. "Are you okay, now?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." he replied, quietly.

Wing paused for a moment, then knelt down to hug his friend, warmly. "It's okay. Ember just doesn't know you very well, so she didn't know that your bright eye isn't messed up...just different. I bet she's really sorry for saying so, too."

"I don't." Kin replied, flatly.

"Is that what this is all about?" Dewshine asked. "Now I see. Well, if Ember is picking on you for such a thing, then perhaps she should have a couple of words with One-Eye." she said with a wink.

Wing beamed. "I forgot all about him! I should have showed you him a long time ago!" Wing exclaimed to his friend.

"Who's One-Eye?" Kin asked.

"He's real nice. You'll like him and he's just like you!" he answered, nimbly climbing the short distance to the opening of a cave where many of the Wolfriders spent much of the daylight hours secluded within its cool confines. "Oh!" he said, turning sharply. "Dewshine, do you think it would be alright if Kin saw One-Eye before Ember did?"

"You know, I think that would be a good idea." she said, wordlessly praising the child for coming to the conclusion on his own.

"Great! Come on, Kin!"

Silently, the little Sun Villager followed his sunny-haired companion up the craggy cave face, pausing briefly to glance behind him. Dewshine was there, smiling up at him, in her own way urging him forward. Without a word, he turned and continued on his way.

Wing was waiting for him when he reached the top. Smling brightly, he took Kin's hand and pulled him along. Moonshade, who was busy with her leathers, looked up as the two entered.

"Hey, Moonshade! Where's Strongbow?" Wing asked, not slowing his pace in the least.

"Hunting with Treestump and Scouter." she answered, returning to her tanning.

Hurrying along the rocky enclosure, Wing slowed when his keen eyes took sight of Clearbrook reclining against the rocks while One-Eye sat above her, his fingers engrossed in the mass of silvery tendrils that was the elf maiden's hair. As the youngsters approached from his right side, One-Eye was able to see them as they approached.

"Hey there, Wing." he said. "Haven't seen you in a while."

Clearbrook, whose eyes were shut in relaxation, opened them at the sound of her lifemate's voice. "My, you look more and more like your father everyday." she said.

The young Wolfrider smiled and invited himself to sit upon her lap. "That's what Mother says."

"Well, she's right. Especially with all this sunshine hair of yours."

"But, " he began, dejectedly. "Father's hair is straight like yours. Mine's all curly."

"Your father's hair is straight now, but when he was just a cub, his hair was as curly as yours is."

"REALLY?" he asked, eagerly.

Clearbrook chuckled. "Yes, really."

One-Eye smiled at the two. Seeing them as they were reminded him of times when Scouter was young and curious about everything and always eager to find any measure of favor in his parent's eyes. He had even taken to wearing his clothing after his father's liking, just so he could be more like him. It was a simple thing that he continued to do even to this day...a simple thing that always seemed to make him smile at the thought.

"Hmm..." he mused, feeling eyes upon him. He glanced beside him, a little surprised to see the small village lad looking up at him, intently. "Oh, and what's your name?" he asked.

"OH!" Wing exclaimed, leaping off of Clearbrook's lap. "This is Kin. He's my friend." he said, standing beside the darker elf, easily sliding his arm about his shoulder. "He's got a special eye just like you do, One-Eye, see?" he said, pointing to Kin's "ghost eye". Kin bristled at Wing's blatant display of his irregularity and feared that One-Eye would somehow find fault with him, for who would ever claim to have something in common with something so undesirable?

"Say, that is a special eye?" One-Eye said. appreciatively.

Kin gasped. "You really...you really think so?"

"Aye! I do. And it looks a lot better than mine."

"Yours?"

The elder elf smiled then slowly pulled back the patch covering his abused eye. Kin's eyes widened at the sight and his little mouth was left agape.

"See?" One-Eye said, as he shut his good eye and reset the patch. "Your eye is-..."

"JUST LIKE MINE!" Kin exclaimed, leaping onto One-Eye's torso, knocking him off of the rock he sat perched upon while wrapping his tiny arms about him. "You have a special eye, too! It looks different from mine, but it's special like mine, I know it! You're just like me and I'm just like you! We're just the same!"

Now it was One-Eye's turn to fall silent. His mouth was agape for a moment, then quickly curled into a smile. He laughed heartily, lying sprawled across the cold ground with the little red-haired elf sitting nimbly upon his chest. "You know..." he began. "No one's ever called my eye special, but, I guess it is special in its own way. Thank you for telling me."

Kin nodded, unable to say anything from the measure on unbridled joy that was caught within his tiny form, barely contained by the broad smile that decorated his chestnut visage.

"There you are." a voice called.

The four turned to see Cutter, Leetah and Ember approaching them. Ember was squirming about as Leetah held her firmly by her ear, something her mother had done to her and Shenshen in their youth when they got caught misbehaving.

"Kin," Leetah began, "I believe Ember has something she wants to say to you." she added, releasing her daughter from her grasp.

Awkwardly, Ember stepped forward, gingerly rubbing her throbbing ear. Frowning in an overly childish manner, she all but whispered the words, "...sorry.", then clamped her lips shut, confining any other words that might have escaped to be forever imprisoned therein.

"That's okay." Kin answered. "You didn't know that my eye wasn't messed up...just special. Just like One-Eye's!"

"Huh?" she mused.

"'Messed up' is it?" One-Eye said, thoughtfully.

Ember's eyes nearly doubled in size. Slowly she turned around to look over her shoulder at her parents. Cutter quirked a brow, while Leetah crossed her arms over her ample bosom and fixed her lovely face with an impatient frown. Slowly, she turned her attentions back to those gathered before her. "I-...I'm sorry One-Eye." she said, meaningfully.

He sighed, lightly, then waved his hand dismissively through the air. "Aye. Forget about it. It's like Kin said, you didn't know." he concluded, patting Kin's head, gently. "You'll remember it from now on, right?"

"...yes." she said, softly.

"Good. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to return to Clearbrook's hair."

"And we need to finish our game." Wing chimed in. "Ember, you were the one who was tagged last so you have to find us. I'll send to Dart and tell him that we're ready to play, again."

"Aww..."

"Ember!" Cutter and Leetah called.

"I mean...okay." she amended. "Come on, let's go!" she shouted, dashing to the cave entrance, not wanting to stay a moment more in the presence of her scowling parents.

"Okay! Come on, Kin." Wing said, hurrying after her.

"Yup!" he answered, starting after him. He had barely set one foor before the other when he said, "Wait a second!" and turned to back toward One-Eye, approaching him, shyly. "Hey, One-Eye would it be okay if when Wing comes to visit you all out here...uh...would it be okay if I came with him?"

Clearbrook hid a smile behind her palms as she glanced up at her lifemate. His friendly smile seemed to brighten the din of the cave and even warmed the space inside its confines. He reached out and tenderly cupped the lad's chin between his fingers and said, plainly, "That would make me happy."


End file.
